What Hurts the Most (Original)
by iheartbooks4ever
Summary: This is the 4th Quarter Quell. Elizabeth Berkley isn't the strongest,and definitely not the bravest.When she's thrown into the arena with Tristan, she vows to do anything to make it home with Tristan by her in her as she discovers What Hurts the Most. Previously posted, then deleted... click for explanation and further summary.
1. Story History

**Hello readers! I first posted this story in 2011, it had 34 chapters when it was finished and 59 reviews. I deleted it because I thought it wasn't very original, even though 90% of everyone who reviewed it told me they loved it, and how much they loved Lizzie. I knew I could do better. **

**Now after 3 years I'm rewriting this story and adding new characters, remaking old ones, and adding major changes to the story line. It's called "What Hurts the Most~Revised", you can find it on my profile along with my other reason I'm reposting the story is so you as the readers can (and will hopefully) compare this original with my new version and see how much I've changed it so that you will love it even more... and also I'm posting it for old sentiment's sake, I always kind of regretted deleting this :/**

**I do not claim for this to be my best work, I know it's not, since it was my first fan-fiction. That's why I'm rewriting a better version! So humor a budding writer and R&R!**

**Constructive criticism is very, very welcome. I need all the help I can get to make sure my rewrite is as good as it can get. Thanks. ~iheartbooks4ever**

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What Hurts the Most

Setting: District 13, 25 years after Mockingjay.

Summary: 25 years ago Panem was at war with its self, the 12 districts along with almost-extinct district 13 rebelled against themselves and the Capitol, for their freedom from the nation's cruel leader, Cornelius Snow, and from the deadly Hunger Games, a cruel event held every year. In which 24 tributes- 1 girl and 1 boy from each of the 12 districts – were forced to fight to the death on National television.

The Capitol's peacekeepers and soldiers fought fearlessly and cruelly against the Rebels, but their efforts were all in vain, for the Mockingjay, Katniss Everdeen of the lowly District 12, fought back and after much death and pain, they pushed the Capitol back. After both Snow's and Coin's death, Paylor became president of Panem. The ruthless Hunger games were no more, so every citizen could rest peacefully, rest-assured their children were safe to live a long, happy life. The nation entered a realm of peace, but it was ill-fated from the beginning, destined to end. 10 years after President Paylor became President, trouble stirred up and the old, evil leaders of the Capitol began to rise to power again, and briefly over-threw the President, Serica Snow took over and Paylor was forced into hiding. A rebellion was started, but the people of Panem were ill-prepared, and they lost. The Hunger Games were once again started, and the nation of Panem was in a state of utter chaos.

Three years after Serica Snow took over she was eventually captured by the fearless rebels and was put to death. The citizens of Panem were shaken, shocked that their state of peace had so quickly been ruined. They struggled to put together the pieces of their broken and hurting country. Paylor was once again named President and the Hunger Games were stopped. The people tried to put the past three years behind them, and once again experienced peace. A mere seven years later tragedy struck, President Paylor was murdered in her sleep and a new cruel ruler took her place, Octavia Snow. Once more Panem is turned into a dictatorship, in which the Hunger Games have returned, more ruthless and mind-boggling then before, now 26 teens fight to the death each year, it is five years after President Octavia Snow took over, and this year is the 100th Hunger Games, the 4th Quarter Quell.

In District 13, it is nearing the Hunger Games, and Elizabeth Berkley's life is about to be turned upside-down when one of her worst nightmares comes true. She may not be the bravest or the strongest but she will do everything she can to protect her family and friends, even if it means certain death. Join Lizzie as she's thrown into the arena, and struggles to make it home alive, with Tristan. Join her as she discovers what hurts the most.


	2. Chapter 1: Better Life

Chapter 1- Better Life

"Elizabeth! Wake up!" I groan and roll over at the sound of my mother's persistent calling. It can't possibly be morning already. Why can't school start at like noon, it would make school a lot more likeable. I keep my eyes closed, not wanting to leave the inviting warmth of my bed just yet.

"_Lizzie! _You're going to be late if you don't get up!" She sounds more frustrated this time and I feel a bit guilty because I'm still laying here in bed when I should be getting up and ready, but I really don't want to move.

With a sigh I look up at my mother standing over me, looking as frustrated as she sounded, and also looking like she's not in a good mood—I wonder why. "Okay, okay, I'm up! Just stop yelling please." I say to acknowledge that I've heard her.

My mother shakes her head before walking out of my room towards the kitchen to finish breakfast, "You do remember that today is only a half-day right?"

Instantly I'm combing my memory for the reason behind the half-day, it shouldn't be hard to remember. After all, we don't have many half-days—scratch that, we only have one. All at once I remember and instantly my mood changes from groggy to alert. Today is the Reaping.

"Um yeah, I remember." I fling the covers back and resist the urge to crawl under them and hide, not wanting to face the grimness that today promises to bring.I yawn and slowly get out of bed, than I drag myself to the kitchen for some watery porridge and a dry, crusty piece of bread. When I sit down at the table I notice my sister, Karissa, sitting down, writing a note, her blonde curly hair is falling over her pretty, sea green eyes; I wish I had eyes like that. She has a look of deep concentration on her delicate face; I wonder who the note is for, although I have a pretty good idea already.

"What are you doing?"

I try to look at her writing, but she only blushes and quickly hides the note under her half-empty plate, "Oh um, it's nothing…" Karissa stammers, "just, a, um note for the… teacher."

I sit down next to her and grin, knowing full-well who the note is for now. "Who's it really for? Jason?" Karissa's mouth drops open and her entire face turns beet-red; almost everyone in the whole District knows that Jason Hedeon has a thing for my sister. The poor boy's ears turn red as soon as you mention Karissa's name, same story for Karissa, but she hides her feelings a lot better than Jason. I laugh and I finally surrender—for now—and go to my room to finish getting ready.

Karissa and I meet Tristan and Jason so we can walk together to school. Tristan and Jason are brothers, and Tristan is my best friend in the whole world, other than Cora. We've known each other since I was seven and he was nine, now I'm 16 and he's 18. Just about everyone in 13 thinks that either Tristan or I are siblings, or that we are dating. Neither are true but we do spend a lot of time together. We are most definitely not siblings, Tristan and I look nothing alike, Tristan has bright green eyes, and bronze hair with some golden streaks. I have blue eyes and hair that's a mix of brown and blonde.

A voice interrupts my thoughts, "Hey Lizzie, come here!"

Tristan waves vigorously and he rushes forward to sweep me up into a bear hug, "I haven't seen you in _forever, _oh and Happy Hunger Games!_"_

I grin up at my best friend, "I just saw you last night you idiot, can you let me go? You are kind of squishing me."

"Oh right, wouldn't want to suffocate you." I snort, but it comes out sounding weird (because I am currently being squished), kind of like a noise a cat would make if an elephant sat on it.

"Yeah, no suffocating please." Tristan releases me from his familiar embrace and smiles warmly at me. I immediately smile back, it's impossible not to smile when Tristan smiles. A group of guys stand a couple of feet away, motioning for Tristan to come over. Tristan looks at me like he needs my permission to go to his friends, I roll my eyes and nod; he smiles again and runs over to them, leaving me to my own devices.

I turn around and I see Karissa and Jason talking; well, Karissa is talking and Jason is staring at his feet. Before I turn around I see Karissa slip Jason a note and he shoves it in his pocket, I make a mental note to ask her or Jason about it later. I walk over to where Tristan is standing, and I see he is now talking to Felix, my friend Cora's long time crush, I tap Tristan on the shoulder and motion towards the school building, "Come on, we are going to be late."

"Yeah we wouldn't want to ruin your _perfect_ attendance record now, would we?" Tristan snorts and rolls his perfect eyes, but starts towards the building anyway. We walk side-by-side into the dreary school building and greet some of the kids we know as we make our way down the hall to my classroom, which is conveniently the first door.

Tristan does one of those weird two-finger salute things that guys sometimes do and stops at the door of my classroom. "See you at lunch," he says casually and I nod, but I linger at the door's frame, not wanting to leave him yet.

I watch Tristan walk off towards his first class and my heart does a flip; I sigh and walk into the classroom, and right into Cora. _Great, _I think to myself, _I'm starting the morning off right._

"Oops! Sorry!" I say to her, grinning sheepishly, but she completely ignores my apology. I see Cora's eyes dart from Tristan's retreating figure to me, and a knowing smile crosses her face.

"You like him don't you?" I suppress a sigh, this question has been coming up frequently over the past couple months, and each time I find it harder to find the answer.

I look at Cora who is now full-out smirking; my mouth drops open and I can feel heat slowly rising from my neck, to my ears and finally to my face, and I feel suddenly embarrassed. I shake my head and clear away all of the insane little thoughts that have just popped into my head: thoughts about Tristan and I. Thoughts I shouldn't be thinking, because he and I are only friends. "No! Of course not! Tristan…He's my best friend, and I'm his, that's all there is to it."

Cora shakes her head with a laugh and we walk into the room to our seats. The look in her eye tells me she doesn't believe me about Tristan, so I say something that will turn the conversation from me to her, "So, Felix was totally looking at you outside." Cora's eyes light up like they always do when she talks about Felix.

"Yeah, he's so amazing. You should have seen the look on his face when he said 'Hi' to me this morning, he totally likes me, I just know it." A stream of nervous giggles escapes her lips.

"You should ask him out one of these days Cora."

"Yeah, that'll be the day…" She sighs and turns towards the front of the room where the teacher has begun to teach the day's lesson. Normally, I pay attention but today I find myself lost in thought.

Tristan Hedeon is my best friend; I met him nine years ago, the day that my father disappeared. It started out as any normal Saturday would, staying in pajamas till noon then wondering around aimlessly and playing with Karissa. As soon as I walked into the living room of our small living compartment on the 5th floor, I knew something was wrong. My mother was sitting on the couch, her face was white as a sheet, and in her shaking hands she held a crumpled piece of paper.

"_Mom, what's wrong? Where's daddy?" _

_She just shook her head and thrust the note in my hand, I look at her before I start reading; her body is shaking with sobs._

"_Dearest family, I love each of you more than you could ever know and I always will. They know what I've done, they are coming for me. I don't know if I will ever see you again, but please don't worry about me, everything will be okay. Please don't be angry, I did this to protect you- all of you- and especially Elizabeth. _

_You see, three years ago was when I first learned of them, I was sitting in my office working on a new software program when my door flew open, I looked up from my desktop to see three men, two were in uniform and had guns strapped to their belts, the third was wearing a suit and was wearing a Capitol seal on his jacket pocket. The third man stepped forward and lowered his sunglasses so I could see his cold, empty eyes._

_ 'Are you Korvin Birkley?' he asked, I nodded and he proceeded to tell me that as a loyal citizen of Panem I would be required to give them my daughter Elizabeth to them for the President's son._

_I asked what they meant."_

_ "'The President's son has required a new playmate, a friend, specifically someone from the districts. Your daughter's name was drawn so we will be coming by this afternoon to collect her.' I couldn't let that happen so after work that day I requested moving to a new compartment and I changed our last name to Berkley, and I 've tried avoiding them since. But they've finally figured it out, yesterday they came for her- for our Lizzie- I tried to fight them off, I told them they couldn't have her, so instead they said I would face the consequences for myself, they said to meet them out in the woods in the morning or my world would be turned upside down. I could never let anyone hurt you, so I've decided to give myself to them. Please don't come after me, and remember I'll always be with you no matter what happens. –"_

_ I turn and throw the note in my mother's face, before running out of our apartment, something I've never done before._

"_It's not true! Daddy would never leave us! He loves us!" I shout as I go, I can hear mommy calling after me but I ignore her._

_I storm out of our apartment with tears streaming down my face, and I run to the school building and hide in the supply closet. I sit there for who knows how long. I scream and cry until I all but lost my voice, trying to comprehend in my seven-year old brain, why my daddy would do this to us- his family. While I was sitting there lost in thought, I hadn't paid any attention to the footsteps coming closer until they stop right in front of the supply closet, then I see the knob turn and in walks a boy, a boy I've seen before at school but never really paid much attention too, he is older than me so I don't really run into him a lot at school. His mouth forms a surprised "O" as he saw me sitting there, with a red and blotchy face._

"_What are you doing here?" _

I wasn't sure what to tell him so I didn't answer; instead I had stared at the floor, wanting to be invisible, trying to think of a way out of the situation.

"_Hello? Is anyone there? Can you even talk?" The boy had come forward a step and now he leans towards me._

_He takes another step and reaches out to poke my arm, and by that time I was getting annoyed, so I snap my head up and look him straight in the eyes, "No, I lost my voice! Yes of course I can talk stupid! Why does it matter if I'm in here, I maybe I like being in here." I yell accusingly at him. _

I smile to myself as I remember Tristan's reaction to my words. Of course at the time I hadn't thought his reaction too funny, but the two of us laugh about it all the time now.

_He is momentarily taken aback by my words and stares at me for a moment before bursting out laughing._

"_What's your problem? What's so funny?" I demand angrily, I didn't like that he was laughing at me._

_This boy was really making me angry; I restrain myself from hitting him, remembering what daddy said, that violence is never the answer. _(Unless it is) _ He just shakes his head and continues to laugh for a minute before he stops. "I've never met a girl who talks like that before."_

"_Talks like what?" I ask impatiently, I didn't know who this boy was but I knew that I didn't want to talk to him anymore._

"_Talk sarcastically, like you're older than you are, and that I'm stupid for not knowing why you're sitting in the supply closet at school on a _Saturday_." _

_ "Just leave me alone!" I spit angrily at him before stomping out of the closet, shoving him in the process._

"_Hey you! Wait! What'd I do? Where are you going? What's your name?" _

_I stop and turn around; he was really getting on my nerves, since when did random people question everyone about everything? "Ok look, I don't know who you are just coming here and questioning me like this, because it's none of your business where I'm going. And I have a name, thank you very much, I'm Elizabeth Berkley."_

_I proceed to turn back around and start to walk again when he speaks once again. "Look I'm sorry about the questions, but if you opened up a closet and found some girl sitting there wouldn't you want to ask them some questions? Oh and my name is Tristan Hedeon." Tristan was right; even though I didn't know him I shouldn't have been rude. He was one of the few boy's I'd met that didn't tease me about being a girl and saying I had cooties. I took that into consideration, hmm; maybe Tristan wasn't so bad after all. _

"_Yeah I guess you are right, sorry I was being mean, you were only trying to help." He says it was okay and he walks towards me, and we both sit. After a while I tell him about finding mommy so pale, and what the note said and how confused and scared I am._

_ Tristan is silent for a moment, with a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm sorry; you must be so sad right now. You must love your dad a lot. My dad is never around, he drinks a lot and he's mean to my mom and my little brother. I don't care that he's gone, I'm glad he's gone, is it wrong to feel like that?"_

Poor Tristan, at age 7 I had only just started finding out that everything wasn't as perfect as I once thought it was._ I couldn't imagine not having my daddy at all, much less having a daddy that's mean and drunk. "Oh Tristan, I'm sorry, and I don't think it's wrong because he was mean after all." I look out a window and squint up at the sky; it was starting to get dark, I knew mommy was probably worried about me. _

"_I should probably go home; my mom is probably looking for me." I stood up and he had followed suit._

"_Can I walk you to your apartment?" I didn't really know why he wanted to; probably to make sure I got home okay. I told him okay and we walked outside to the elevators and took the elevator down to the 5__th__ floor._

"_You live on the 5__th__ floor? I do too; I'm in number 508, how about you?"_

"_I live in apartment 512." I reply. I walk up to my door and sigh before opening it. Mommy raced to the door and hugs me tight, completely ignoring Tristan._

"_Elizabeth Grace! Where have you been? I was worried sick! Your seven years old for crying out loud! You can't just run off like that!" _

_I wiggle out of her embrace, embarrassed, and sneak a look at Tristan who had been looking at the floor, also embarrassed, "Mom this is Tristan, he found me after I, err, got lost. He helped me find my way back, he lives in 508."_ After my mom and Tristan had talked for a couple minutes he left, but not before my mom had thanked him at least five times.


	3. Chapter 2: Change

Chapter 2: Change

"Lizzie! Earth to Lizzie! Come on Tristan is waiting for us!" I jump in my chair, and look over at Cora, who is currently snapping her fingers in front of my face. I blink and realize that class is over and that students from the next class have started to file their way in the door. I start to put my books in my bag as I stand.

"Oh, sorry! I guess I got lost in thought…" I say as I tuck a pencil behind my ear and shouldering my bag.

Cora raises an eyebrow in question; I ignore her and walk out the door to find Tristan. I spot him down the hall in front of my locker; he laughs and smiles when he finally picks me out of the crowd with his gorgeous green eyes. I walk over to him and he smiles so bright you'd think I just gave him the best present in the world.

"Hey! I was starting to think you ditched me! Where were you? I was about to come looking for you, is everything okay?" I roll my eyes and brush off his concern, he's been like that a lot lately, and it's kind of strange.

"Don't worry Tristan, I would _never_ ditch you, you're my best friend." I playfully punch him in the arm and he smiles again. I gently push him aside so I can open my locker and he watches me in silence as I put away and take out the necessary books.

"I was in class," I continue, suddenly feeling like I need to further explain why I was late. "I kind of spaced out, for like the whole class, Cora was trying to snap me out of it." I finish lamely, not really knowing what to tell him. _Um, yeah, I was late because I was too busy day-dreaming about you. _Oh yeah, that'd go over _real _well. Nope, that wouldn't be awkward at all.

Tristan looks down at his watch and lets out a sad sigh, "Well, I guess we should get going, the bell is about to ring," I turn around and face him, trying to concentrate on his words amid the constant chatter of the other students in the hall.

"I'll see you at lunch?" He queries and I nod, promising him that I will. Tristan hugs me, and his arms linger for longer than necessary, so I shrug out of his embrace and I walk towards my second period class. I glance over my shoulder to see him looking at me, he has a strange look on his face, and it's a mix of longing and confusion, he also looks kind of sad. I'm just about to turn around and ask what's wrong when Cora suddenly appears next to me and she links my arm with hers and we skip to class together.

The rest of the day goes by in an eerie quiet, with every passing hour everyone gets quieter as they realize that soon, two kids in our District will be signed up for their death. And it could be anyone we know, a friend, a relative, a girl/boyfriend.

Since today is the reaping we get out of school early, right after lunch, so we have time to prepare ourselves for the dreadful ceremony. I'm so ready for lunch; I can't wait to finally get a chance to talk to Tristan without being interrupted by bells, or friends. I find myself anxiously watching the clock, itching to spring out of my seat and find Tristan.

As soon as the bell rings, I race to the hallway where Tristan's last class is and wait for him. I see him come out and I wave enthusiastically at my best friend.

"Hey there!" I call out to him as he looks around the crowded halls, most likely for me.

Tristan hears me and turns to wave back and grins, he falls into step beside me and we take our time walking to the cafeteria.

"Hey, listen. Do want to eat lunch outside with me?"

I snort a little, like he'd even have to ask, I've always eaten lunch with him. I nod my assent anyway and he smiles again, his eyes lighting up some. I love how when he smiles his eyes shine and light up his whole face.

"Yeah, that sounds great, let me go find Cora."

I start to turn around and take a step in the direction that Cora will most likely be in, when Tristan grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop. I look up at him confused.

"Oh, I was hoping just you and me could eat outside, alone, and talk about some stuff, is that okay?"

I meet his eyes and see some nervousness in them; I wonder what's bothering him. He must just be nervous about the Reaping today, and wants to talk about it, so I nod and we take our trays outside and sit under a willow tree. As we eat we talk about our day, and other small things. While he's eating some salted nuts from his lunch bag, Tristan suddenly gets a weird look on his face.

"Tristan what's wrong? Tell me please." I watch him, unsure what to think. I've always been pretty good at reading him, but this time I'm at a loss. Clouds of mixed emotions are shinning in his eyes.

He is silent for a moment as he thinks about an answer to my question and runs his fingers through his hair. Tristan lets out a sigh and adjusts himself so he's sitting with his knees up against his chest with his arms wrapped around his knees.

"I'm scared Lizzie." He finally admits, "I'm terrified that you, Karissa or Jason will get reaped, I'm terrified for everyone. What if one of us gets chosen? What can we do?"

It breaks my heart to see him like this, but I think it's very sweet he is so concerned. I also find it strange that he's so much more worried this year than he was last year. I move closer to him and lay a hand on his shoulder; I feel the muscles in his shoulder tighten some than relax under my touch.

"Hey it will be okay Tristan. So far none of us haven't been chosen, and I know that could change but there are lots of people in District 13, there's a very small chance we will get chosen. You just have to cross your fingers and hope, that's all we can do."

He smiles sadly and looks into my eyes with his beautiful green ones, I love his eyes, they are the most beautiful eyes anywhere on this planet.

Tristan's eyes glisten in the afternoon sunlight, and I can tell in that instant just how upset he is. I've never seen him like this before. I wonder what's gotten into him. I watch him as he opens his mouth to speak, "I know, but I have this horrible, awful feeling that something bad is going to happen; something that I can't do anything about."

He pauses and lifts my chin up with his hand, his thumb caressing my cheek. At first I'm kind of startled but then I relax, it feels so good, and I find myself wishing we could stay like this forever. My eyes flicker around to see if anyone is looking at us, and I return my gaze back to his eyes. I look at Tristan and I almost sigh out loud, he has such a loving look in his eyes, a look that makes me want to lean over and kiss him. I'm startled by this impulse, and as I look over at Tristan I see that he must have the same idea.

Tristan leans in and rests his forehead on mine and his voice becomes a murmur, "I don't know what I would do if I lost you Lizzie. You mean everything to me, you know that don't you?"

I look away from his eyes for a moment, and I can feel my eyes brimming with tears. I would be lost without Tristan, too, I realize suddenly. I nod my head softly in answer to his question and I look over at him and see him smile a little.

I take a deep breath and say what I've wanted to say for a long time. "I couldn't lose you either Tristan. You're my best friend ever, and I need you."

Tristan's eyes light up with an emotion I can't place at first and then it hits me, _its love. He loves me_. Tristan Hedeon is in love with me. A whirlwind of emotions take over me and I feel incredibly happy, happier than I've ever been in my whole life. Then I start crying as the raw turmoil of emotions inside me start bubbling over and spilling out. He pulls me into his chest and strokes my hair while I cry; this isn't new for me though.

The first couple years I knew him I had always tried not to cry in front of him, because I don't like crying in front of people. But now every so often when I'm upset I'll come find him and I'll tell him what's wrong and he doesn't talk at all he just sits there quietly and listens. Then when he knows the tears are coming he'll hold me until I'm done crying.

We sit there like that for the next five minutes: him holding me and me trying to get a grip on myself. After a while I sit up and wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, Tristan leans forward and my breath catches in my throat as he brings his hand up and gently places it on the side of my face so that the tips of his fingers brush my ear and his thumb rests on my cheek.

I can feel his breath wash over my face and I close my eyes and sigh, when I open my eyes, he is right there, his nose touching mine. I start to move back but Tristan does something I never thought would happen: he kisses me, right there in the school yard. I've never kissed anyone before, not unless you count the half-kiss I had with Felix when I was 13, it was at a party when we played spin the bottle.

This kiss is so sweet, so gentle and unsure; it is without a doubt the best thing that I've ever experienced. I melt right into him and put my arms around his neck and he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer, this is the best moment of my life. I forget about the Reaping, the Hunger Games, and everyone else. The only thing that matters right now is the kiss. The amazingly magical kiss I'm sharing with Tristan. My best friend. Tristan pulls away and smiles down at me, I blush a little but I smile back.

"I've been waiting forever for this to happen." He whispers quietly, and we both smile shyly at each other; unable to believe what just happened.

He kisses my forehead, then my eyelids and my nose. I think about this, how long have we been in love with each other, more importantly was it this obvious to everyone around us that we would get together? I push those thoughts away, there's plenty of time for thinking later. I lean forward and brush my lips over his; I can feel him try not to smile as I kiss him back. Then I lean back and take in the scene around us, I see kids starting to drift out of the building and toward their homes. I pause at the door by the cafeteria and see Cora staring at us, with a huge smirk on her face. How long has she been standing there? I glance at Tristan, who has been playing with my hair; I nudge him and gesture over to Cora.

"Well look who decided to spy on us today."

Tristan's expression is one of triumph and amusement; if he had it his way he would parade around the whole district yelling out that I'm his girlfriend. Whoa, girlfriend, I've never really used that word before it's kind of scary; hopefully this whole relationship thing doesn't mean that Tristan and I have to start acting like an old married couple.

I don't want this moment to end, I wish I could just stop time and stay like this forever, just Tristan and I. Tristan looks over at me and sighs, "We should probably head back, before people come looking for us."

I nod and get up, Tristan stands up next to me and laces his fingers through mine, and we walk hand in hand toward the school building.

We walk by Cora on our way to get Jason and Karissa, and she hisses into my ear, glancing over at Tristan.

"We have _a lot _to talk about. Call me when you get home."

I smile as Tristan and I continue walking. Most kids don't give us a second glance, everyone at school either thinks we were already dating or that we will be dating soon enough. In the distance I see Karissa and Jason; they are both standing against the wall pretending not to be looking at each other when they really are, I lean over and whisper in Tristan's ear.

"I bet you in three years that those two will be dating."

He thinks about this for a minute, as we continue walking. I would love to be able to read Tristan's mind, just for a minute or two so I could see what he thinks of me, what his first impression of me was.

Tristan bites his lip before speaking, "I don't know about that, Jason is already head over heels, I don't think he could wait three years. I bet they will be dating by the end of next year."

I shake my head at the thought, as much as I want my little sister to be happy, I'm not sure if I want her dating anyone by next year, she will only be 13. But there's no one else I would rather see sweet Karissa with than Jason. Hmm, I still need to ask Karissa about that note she gave Jason…

I let go of Tristan's hand and wave at Karissa and Jason, they wave back and start walking towards us, Tristan stands behind me and asks quietly; "When should we tell everyone, about us I mean? We are a couple now aren't we?"

I look up at him and think about his question, as happy as I am that we can be totally honest with each other about our feelings I'm still not sure about this relationship deal. I don't know much about relationships but one thing I do know is that you have to be willing to compromise, so I sigh and smile at Tristan.

"We can tell Karissa and Jason now, and you tell your mom and I'll tell mine. I can't think of a reason that we shouldn't tell anyone."

Tristan grins at me and takes hold of my hand, Jason raises an eyebrow at this but doesn't ask, I suspect he figured it out already. Karissa asks us if we are going out even though I think she already knows too.

"Yes! I knew you two were going to get together! You guys will be the cutest couple _ever_! Are you going to go out on a date soon?"

I give Tristan an exasperated look and he grins even more, he loves this, and I would be, but I'm kind of worried about what my mom will say about Tristan and I dating. The four of us ride the elevator down to the 5th floor, with Karissa chatting away about school. Tristan grabs my arm when I start to follow Karissa and Jason down the hallway.

"What is it?"

I ask him, he doesn't answer, so I yell out to Karissa, "Tell mom I'll be there in a minute."

And I let Tristan pull me wherever he's pulling me too. Tristan pulls me around the corner and close to him and kisses me. I kiss him back and enjoy feeling warmth wash over me, spreading from my lips to my fingertips and my toes. Tristan cradles my face in one hand; his other is on the small of my back, pulling me to him. I reach up on my toes, and wrap my arms around his neck. He pulls away first, his breath ragged, and he pulls me to his chest and hugs me.

"No matter what happens this afternoon, I'll always love you, okay?"

He _does_ love me! I am officially the happiest person in the world, but it scares me to hear him talk like that, like something horrible is about to happen. I put my finger to his lips,

"Tristan, everything will be fine, I promise."

I kiss him quickly on the lips to stop any further protests and I walk away from my best friend-now-boyfriend and go to compartment number 512. When I walk in I get my phone out of my pocket and dial Cora's number, and we talk till it's time to get ready for the Reaping.


	4. Chapter 3: What Hurts the Most

Chapter 3- What Hurts the Most

I take a deep breath and I walk over to the roped off section for the sixteen year olds, I find an empty spot near the front and I look for Tristan, he's pretty easy to spot he's one of the tallest 18 year olds. Tristan sees me and smiles; I smile back then look through the crowd for my mom. I find her and I smile, she smiles at me and then wipes some tears out of the corners of her eyes. You know, she took the news about Tristan and I very well, she surprised me actually. So after I had finished talking to Cora I went into the living room and took a deep breath, then I blurted it out.

_ "Mom? Tristan and I are going out now, is that okay?" _

_ My mom turned around and she had an expression on her face I couldn't understand, "Well finally, I didn't think you guys were ever going to date. You were both waiting for the other to make the first move." My mouth fell open, I knew it was kind of obvious that Tristan and I liked each other, but I didn't think it was that obvious._

_ "Was it really that obvious this whole time?" I squeaked out slightly embarrassed, my mom rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh._

_ "You need to wake up and smell the hormones! That boy has been in love with you for years!"_ and with that she had turned and returned her attention to dinner.

After we ate our dinner, we'd busied ourselves with getting dressed for the reaping. Everyone is required to go unless you are literally at death's door, armed security guards check each apartment, and if you're trying to hide and avoid the reaping, they shoot you. I went into the bathroom and took a long, relaxing bubble bath, it felt very nice. I had found this jar of good smelling stuff under the sink so I poured it into the water and now the water smells like cinnamon, yum. After soaking for a good 15 minutes, I washed myself with the sweet smelling bubbles, then I'd drained the tub and dried myself off. I walked down the hall into my room, and I'd seen a really pretty dress draped over my bed, it must've been my mom's, from the old days.

These days we don't have the money to buy pretty dresses like this. I'd carefully put on the dress, as if it was made of glass, it is a beautiful midnight blue color, the same as my eyes, and it has sleeves that go to my elbow. It has a V-neckline and it's fitted from the neckline down to my waist, where it gradually flares out. I remember when I had looked in the mirror before I had left, I looked_ stunning_.

I've never felt or looked this pretty before. The dress fits me like it was meant for me all along, the dress goes down to my mid-calf. I had slipped on some black heels and looked back into the mirror, I had decided to put my hair down, usually it's in a ponytail, but today is a special occasion.

I had walked down the hallway and found my mom French-braiding Karissa's hair, Karissa looks like an angel. She is wearing one of my old reaping dresses, a simple but elegant soft-pink dress that goes to her ankles; and with it she is wearing some white wedges. I noticed she was also wearing a pearl necklace; it must have belonged to Mom. I walked into the living room and sat on the couch next to Karissa; my mom finished braiding my sister's hair and left the room.

"So Karissa, are you going to tell me what that note to Jason said?" My sister's mouth had fell open, and her face was flushed red.

"I- I didn't think you would see it." I'd slid over closer to her and tickled her neck, she shrieks and gaps for air in between giggles.

"Tell me what it said and I'll stop!"

She gasped for more air, "Fine! I'll tell you! Just stop!" I stopped tickling her and let her sit up,

"Okay, I'm going to tell you but you can't tell _anyone_ what it says, not Tristan, not Cora, especially not mom." I'd motioned for her to continue and she leaned over and put her lips to my ear.

"It said… I love… ice cream!" Karissa had burst out laughing and ran away from me,

"Karissa! You have to tell me what it said!" Just as I'd been about to chase her down, mom came in and says that it's time to leave, as we'd walked to the elevator I'd stood behind Karissa;

"I'm going to find out what it said one way or another!" She'd just rolled her eyes,

"Try me."

Then she'd walked over to the roped off section for 12 year olds, and looked through the crowd of kids, probably for Jason.

I bring my attention back to the stage in front of me, where I see Mayor Hawk giving his speech, the really long and boring one about all the earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and wars that ruined North America and created Panem. When the Mayor finishes his speech he introduces our district's escort, Emalia Jewels. Emalia is from the Capitol, like all the other escorts, and she has a really annoying high-pitched accent and these weird vine-like tattoos over her eyes. I see Emalia prance up on stage, rocking a bright purple wig that goes to her shoulders, and a lavender dress suit with ridiculous 4 inch heels. I don't see how it's even remotely possible to walk and prance around like she does without seriously injuring herself.

"Hello, District 13! Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be _ever_ in your favor! Let's get this party started, ladies first!"

I hold my breath as she sticks her hand in the ball that has all the names of the girls of District 13; sixteen of them have Elizabeth Berkley on them, twelve of them have Karissa Berkley. Tristan has his name in eighteen times; you see they changed the how many times you get you name entered in. It used to be that your name was entered in once, and if you took out tesserae then you got your name put in more times to make up for it.

Now your name is entered in as many times as you are old. Which makes it seem fairer at first glance, but if you think about it, it really isn't.

Emalia takes her hand out as slow as humanly possible, instantly the tension in the square multiplies as we wait to find out what citizen we will be sending away. After several moments of agonizing suspense Emalia blurts out the name on the slip of paper. _No._

_ No. _

It's as if time slows down, I can't seem to comprehend anything right now besides the pounding of my heart, and the sympathetic gasps that are going around the square.

I feel like I'm going to be sick. No! Why her! I feel myself slowly getting numb, but I manage to think how glad I am that I happened to stand near the front of my age group, right by the metal railing, because if it wasn't there, I would probably sink to my knees on the floor.

It's not my name, or even Karissa's name. "Cora? Cora Sorrel?" Emalia calls out, searching for the owner of the name. It's Cora. Cora, my best friend. Suddenly it's as if time starts again and I look around frantically for Cora, when I find her she looks like she's about to pass out, she bravely takes two steps forward. Images of all the good times Cora and I have had fly through my mind. I can't let her die; she's my best friend in the whole world other than Tristan. I take another deep breath and make a decision that will change my life. Cora has just reached the edge of the aisle: it's now or never. I feel myself running out into the aisle; I thrust both of my hands up in the air and motion frantically, begging for someone to notice me.

"I-I volunteer as tribute!" I hear myself call out, my throat closes up, and gasps go up from the crowd. The gasps are followed by a faint shriek, and I turn around in time to see what's happening, while tears threaten to spill over.

Cora faints dead away, and her parents run up and carry her off. I don't try to look for Karissa or Tristan as I make my way to the stage. Whispers are all around me, filling the tense silence. I don't make eye contact with anyone as I walk quickly up to the stage, knowing that the moment I do, I'll probably break down in tears. Emalia smiles really big at me; her smile takes up half her face, she looks like a chipmunk.

"What an exciting way to start the day! This is great! What's your name sweetie?" Emalia asks excitedly, and she takes me by the arm and pulls me over to the center of the stage where the microphone is standing and motions for me to speak into it.

"My name is Elizabeth Berkley." I try not to show my fear and utter despair as I say my name and I'm surprised at how steady my voice actually sounds as it rings out through the square; my knees feel like they are about to give out at any minute. My hands are visibly shaking; I start to wonder if they'll have to carry me off stage. I hold my breath and mentally cross my fingers as Emalia reaches her dainty hand into the ball with the boys' names.

"Now, let's get a move on shall we? Let's add a second member to this party! Our boy tribute! Who's it going to be?" _Please don't be Tristan, please don't be Tristan!_ The thought revolves around my mind, playing over and over like a broken record player.

"Our boy tribute this year is Tristan Hedeon!" The shaking intensifies.

"_No,"_ The horrified whisper leaves my lips, and it's all I can do to keep myself from collapsing. I try to keep my emotions in check as I watch Tristan slowly make his way on stage; but I'm certain I'm doing a terrible job at it. Tristan somberly takes his place next to me. _No, this isn't happening. It can't be. This is all a dream, isn't it Tristan? _Numerous thoughts run through my mind.

My heart drops to my feet, and I feel sick all over again as I think of what's to come. Is the Capitol _trying _to kill me before I even get to the Games? I feel so many emotions at once, anger, hate, heart-broken and most of all confusion. It takes every ounce of self-control in me not to break down crying, as Tristan and I shake hands. While we shake hands I work up the courage to look into his eyes.

I instantly regret my decision. I see raw, awful, sorrow and pain radiating through his green irises. Just thinking about how awful Tristan must be feeling—multiplied with my own pain—is enough to make me weak in the knees as we drop our hands. I stumble, but quick as a flash Tristan's arm reaches out and encircles my waist. He draws me close to his side as we make our way down the steps where the peace keepers await to escort us to the Justice Building.

"You _will _make it out of the arena alive Elizabeth, I swear it," Comes Tristan's hoarse whisper as we go down the final step. The Peace keepers roughly separate us and we walk to the Justice Building in silence.


	5. Chapter 4: Here Comes Goodbye

Chapter 4: Here Comes Goodbye

I find myself sitting down on a plush, velvet couch in a very large, official-looking room. I listen to the giant grandfather clock in the corner tick away the seconds as I wait for my family and anyone else who will come and say goodbye. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the big, oak doors open.

My mom and sister rush over to me, and the doors close behind them with a firm thud. Mom pulls me into her lap and I pull Karissa to my side and kiss her hair. We don't say anything; our gestures say what words cannot express. What can you say to someone you love who's about to be sent to fight to the death? We sit there like that for a couple minutes until a peace keeper comes in and abruptly announces that they have to leave, I give them both kisses on the cheek and hug them fiercely. That's when the first tear escapes and makes its way down my face.

I hug Karissa close, and I feel her shaking with sobs. "Oh Lizzie, you have to win! I'll be waiting for you to come home," she whispers.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," she says shakily, "The note I gave to Jason said that I liked him." With those final words Karissa is ushered out of the room. Within seconds the doors are opened again, and Cora dashes over to me.

We hug each other and cry massive amounts of tears. After a minute I pull back with a sniffle and look at my best friend, the one I've volunteered for. Did I make the right decision? Yes, I most definitely have. There's no way I could ever let Cora be reaped.

"Oh Lizzie!" She exclaims tearfully, "Why did you have to do that! You should have just let me go. How could I ever thank you…What if I never see you again?" She whispers through her tears, giving me one last hug as the peace keeper calls the visit off.

"I'm sorry Cora, I couldn't let you die, and you're my best friend in the whole world. I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I'd let you be reaped."

"And I'll never forgive myself if you die." Cora says, wiping at her eyes. "Please come back home to us Lizzie." I nod, and my best friend is swallowed up by the big oak doors. My heart feels so heavy.

How it possible for any one person to feel this is much sorrow and pain at one time?

I sit down on the couch again and wait to see if anyone else is going to come say goodbye to me. I'm terrified of dying, and most of all, of letting my family and friends down. I've promised them that I'll come home.

But I can't promise them that. Who am I kidding, I've never held a weapon in my life, (unless you count a kitchen knife or a stick) there's no way I'll be able to hurt another human being, much less _kill _them.

While I'm wrapped up in my whirl-wind of worries, doubts and fears, the door opens again, revealing a surprise guest: Felix. He walks over, looking slightly uncomfortable, and very emotional, and stands in front of me with his hands in his pockets. Sure Felix hangs around with Tristan, Cora and I all the time, but he's more their friend then mine, it's always been that way.

"Thank you for volunteering for Cora." He begins after clearing his throat. "I don't know what I would've done if she would have…" He doesn't finish his sentence, but I understand his meaning. "I know you and I aren't that good of friends, we've never really been close. But I want to say I'm sorry I never really got to know you any better."

_Wow,_ I think somewhat bitterly, _he's talking like he expects me to die._ Then I shake it off, reasoning with myself that I'm not really expecting myself to live either.

"Cora…She talks about you all the time, you are her best friend, and I know she will be heart-broken if you die, so please do your best to come home to her—to all of us. We will be rooting for you every step of the way."

I'm touched by Felix's speech, I jump up and give him a quick hug, "I will I promise, oh and Felix? Cora really likes you, I think you should ask her out; well I'm not sure if she'd be up for that with the Games and all but just try being there for her, you know? She'll need you now more than ever. I think she'd really appreciate it."

Felix half-smiles at me, "You really think so? Okay I'll give it a shot. I'll look out for your sister too; make sure she's doing okay and everything." I'm grateful for Felix, although I don't know him too well, I know that he means what he says, and that I can trust that he will keep his word.

"Thanks, for everything Felix." He waves and walks out of the room.

Several minutes later, I walk out of the big room flanked on each side by peacekeepers, and they escort me silently to the train and leave me to wonder around aimlessly.

As far as I can tell, the train is completely empty, so I use this time to inspect every inch of the train and try to pull myself together some. While I wander around I start to worry about why Tristan isn't here yet, _did something happen? Is he already on the train, but he's keeping his distance because he's mad at me for volunteering for Cora? _

While inspecting the train I find a compartment that's bigger than my whole apartment, it's full of plush furniture and has a big plasma TV screen, and a coffee table with a bowl full of individually wrapped pieces of… something.

I have no clue what it is. I pick a piece up and I take off the foil around it, it's a little square of dark brown stuff. Am I supposed to eat it? Or is it some kind of soap or something?

I take a small bite of it; and it's the best thing I have ever tasted. I shove the whole square in my mouth and sigh, mmm. I need to find out what this is, and who made it, because whoever did is a genius! It has a rich flavor, and it melts on my tongue, it's the sweetest thing I've ever eaten. I pick up the bowl full of these delightful squares and flop down on the nearest sofa and within no time I eat all of the remaining squares. I can feel my eyelids getting heavy; it's been a long day. I lie down on the sofa and close my eyes; I'm out in no time.

_There is mist everywhere, and the forest is dark. I'm running for dear life, although I don't know what I'm running from. Tears stream down my face as I scream, "Tristan! Where are you?"_

_ I stumble through the thick vines trying to see through the foliage. Something grabs my arm from behind me and cuts of my scream with a punch to the throat. My vision is clouded with tears. _

_ "You cannot escape us Elizabeth, we will make you pay for making a fool out of us." _

_ I shiver as I hear the deep, cold voice boom through the eerie quiet of the forest. I blink the tears away and I see what I think is a person on the grass in front of me, "L-lizzie? Is that you? I tried to stop them but they…" Tristan is cut off with a sharp kick to the ribs, he cries out and I scream his name. _

_ "Tristan, no!" _

_ I start to run to him but hands reach out and restrain me. Three men surround Tristan and they kick and punch him, I stand there and scream and try to break free. _

_ "Please don't hurt him! It's me you want! Don't hurt him, hurt me!" I shriek, begging them to leave him alone. _

_ I continue to scream, but they ignore me. "He's done nothing wrong! Take me! Hurt me! Please!" Two of the men back away and the third grabs Tristan by the neck and holds him in the air, Tristan's face starts turning blue, the man drops him and while Tristan is stooped over catching his breath, the unthinkable happens. The man brings out a knife and thrusts it in Tristan's back._

_ I scream so loud my throat hurts, all my rage and pain becoming evident. Lighting and thunder crackle and boom overhead as Tristan coughs up blood, and gasps for air. The man takes the knife out and repeatedly stabs Tristan in the back. Amidst the pouring rain, Tristan collapses onto the cold forest floor, the rain pools with his blood and tendrils of the sickly red liquid make their way to me and his blood puddles around my feet. I vomit as I watch Tristan, the love of my life, die before my own eyes. I scream long and loud, and then I collapse._

"_Lizzie_, wake up! It's just a dream, look, I'm okay! I'm not dead Lizzie."

I hear Tristan's voice and I open my eyes with a small gasp and see Tristan crouched down beside me. I'm just about to hug him when I lurch forward and vomit right beside Tristan. I start crying even harder and I run to the nearest bathroom and I vomit twice into the toilet, Tristan runs after me and holds my hair up for me. I let the tears stream down my face as I flush the toilet and rinse my mouth, Tristan's arms encircle my waist from behind and holds me.

"I love you."

Tristan is the best guy ever; he gets covered in my vomit and holds my hair for me while I continue to vomit and he still says he loves me. I lean back against his chest, reveling in the sense of peace and security I get from being in his arms, I close my eyes momentarily and I can feel Tristan kiss my temple.

"I love you too."

"Lizzie? Are you okay?" He murmurs worriedly into my ear, he lets go of me long enough for me to turn around and face him, I lean back against the sink counter and let his arms encircle me again. "Why is your, um, vomit all brown, and why were you screaming?" I blush a little and look at the floor, I bet all those little squares made me sick, oh but they were so good.

"Well…" I begin, slightly ashamed of myself, "When I was exploring the train I found this small bowl of brown squares, and oh they were the best thing I've ever eaten! I ate all of them and then I- I had a horrible nightmare. Oh Tristan it was so scary." I murmur into his shirt, and his chin rests on the top of my head and he gently strokes my hair, instantly calming me.

I feel him pull back a little and he puts his fingers under my chin and gently lifts it up. He smiles at me softly once I make eye contact with him and I give him a small smile in return. "Do you want to talk about it?" I shake my head; if I talk about it again I'll start crying again. I really don't want Tristan to see me like that.

Tristan takes my hand and I follow him out of the bathroom back to the room where the sofa and TV are. I notice that by the time we arrive the suspicious looking puddle of vomit has been cleaned up and taken care of.

When we walk into the room, we see two other people, Emalia Jewels and Terence Silvanus, one of District 13's only living victors.

Well this should be interesting, I think dryly.

Tristan squeezes my hand and we go over and sit on the couch adjacent to Terence. Our mentor finally decides to grace us with his attention, and looks up from the newspaper he was reading and appraises us with his eyes.

"Well these two aren't too bad looking," He says after a moment. "I suppose they won't die first either, they look like they could put up a decent fight. The boy should get some sponsors, not sure about her though." I look at Terence and my mouth falls open with an audible click, did he _really_ just say that? _Out loud_? He _does_ know that I glare at him and turn my gaze back to Tristan, who has tightened his arm around my waist; I can feel his body tighten as he struggles not to say something back. Emalia rolls her eyes and walks over to stand behind Terence.

"Don't pay any mind to him! He's just a sour type of guy."

Now I like Emalia, maybe she's not as annoying as I thought. Terence shakes his head and mutters to himself and Emalia smacks his shoulder, scratch that, I love Emalia; she's like my hero now.

Tristan is trying hard not to laugh; he manages just to show a smile and watches Emalia and Terence with an amused expression. We sit there in awkward silence for a couple minutes, trying to figure out what you can say to the two kids you're trying to help train to kill other kids. Then the TV comes on, it's the news showing coverage of the Reaping and showing us who we are up against.

In District 1 really scary pair of siblings take the stage, like literally they run up to the stage and declare themselves the tributes of 1. The brother, Acario, is really well built; he looks like he could crush a skull, he's got scars all over his face and arms an especially noticeable one running from his temple to his chin on his left side. Acario has shaggy black hair that has a blue sheen to it, it falls around his ears, and he has cruel looking silver eyes. His sister Neci looks like she could put a 6 foot guy down on his back in 3 seconds flat, she has lean, muscled arms and legs and she's as skinny as a stick. Acario and Neci are two people I definitely don't want to meet in the arena.

The tributes from 4 look decent enough, they look kind of nice too. Anabelle doesn't look like she belongs in the Hunger Games, but then again who does? She is a soft looking girl with curly blonde hair and blue-gray eyes. I'm not sure how far she will get. She _is_ pretty though, the pretty ones always get more sponsors. Anabelle looks like a smart one, like someone who can come up with a plan; that is a good quality to have. Damien is a gangly guy, on the tall side and looks like he's a fast runner. He has dark brown eyes and hair so brown it looks black, that's cropped close to his head. I think they might make good allies, I'll watch them some more and I'll talk to Tristan about them.

The tributes from 5 both look sickly and weak. They`ll be the first to go. Then District 6 comes on the screen, and I see two of the most beautiful pair of people I've ever seen, and it's kind of strange that they are from D6 and not from 1 or 2, they have really good-looking people there.

The girl, Alyssa, is radiant. She has auburn hair and green eyes so bright it's unnatural, just looking at her makes me automatically feel self-conscious about myself. Alyssa struts on stage like a super model and smiles brightly at the crowd, and has a proud look on her face when the boy tribute, Aleron walks onstage. Aleron is probably the best looking guy I've ever seen, he has dark brown hair that falls just below his ears and the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes. When he smiles at the crowd at least half of the girls there sigh, Aleron waves at the camera and turns and hugs Alyssa. Well… that was just… strange, very strange. I turn and look over at Tristan and raise an eyebrow at him he just shrugs and draws me closer to his side before turning his attention back to the screen.

The faces of the tributes from the other districts pass by in a blur; none of them stand out until they get to District 11. Fabian is a strong looking guy with dark skin, he looks like he would be good in hand-to-hand combat, except for the fact that he only has one arm. His left arm is missing; the whole arm up to the shoulder, and frankly it's disturbing. I wonder what happened to leave him with only one arm… The girl tribute, Kaia walks on stage and walks over and elbows Fabian in stomach, Fabian in return flicks her shoulder. It's quite obvious to the audience that they dislike each other; they will probably kill each other.

The girl from District 12, Idylla has an innocent look on her face, but slyness lights up her eyes. Idylla is 14, and from the looks of it she is probably the tiniest tribute this year, her body is tiny in every way, but I bet you she could outsmart every one of the careers. I don't pay attention to who the boy is because I'm too busy thinking about how awful it is that someone as innocent looking as Idylla is going into these games.

Next, I see my District, 13. I see my face go white as Cora's name is called and me gasping out my choice to volunteer for my best friend. My heart break all over again as I watch the pained and horrified expressions on my family's faces and on Tristan's face. I see myself walk up to the stage and see my face turn green when Tristan's name is called; I look like I could pass out any second. Tristan's expression is one of relief and fear; he must have been relieved that at least he could try to protect me from the ruthless killers in the Games. I watch as Tristan takes the stage and watch us shake hands. Then the screen shows the Capitol's seal and goes black, and we all sit there in silence.


	6. Chapter 5: Praying for Daylight

Chapter 5- Praying' for Daylight

A small girl with long brown hair comes into the room and gestures over to the dining room where our dinner is ready. The girl doesn't talk; she must be one of those avoxes I've heard about before. Avoxes are the poor unfortunate souls that are punished by the Capitol for crimes most of them didn't commit. Their tongues are cut out and they are sentenced to living out the rest of their miserable, silent lives serving the also unfortunate tributes of the Hunger Games and doing anything else the Capitol requires of them. I shudder at the thought of losing my tongue; not being able to talk at all would be horrible.

The four of us stand and walk over to the dining room, where very expensive looking silverware and plates are set out. I sit down in the velvet chair and look at the food sitting on my plate, and I literally almost drool onto the silken table cloth. On my plate I have what looks to be a piece of chicken, I haven't eaten chicken in forever, we used to get it on holidays but they stopped doing that five years ago due to shortage of food. Ladled over the chicken is a thick, creamy sauce and it has some spices sprinkled over it. I hastily dig into my meal; it is by far the best thing I've ever eaten, aside from those little brown squares. I don't look up from my plate until I've finished everything on it, by the time I've finished I feel stuffed and slightly sick. I look over at Tristan who has already finished his chicken and is quickly devouring a bowl of soup. Terence is leaning back on his chair and is sipping on a glass of red liquid which I assume to be wine, and is playing with some kind of hand-held device.

I glance over at Emalia who is busy directing an absolutely disgusted look at Terence's feet, which are now propped up on the table by Emalia's plate. I turn my attention to the bowl of soup an avox has just put in front of me, I promise myself just to eat a little bit of it but my resolve is soon broken after the first bite. I'm only able to eat half of the bowl before I feel like I might explode.

I drink some water and look over at Tristan who has taken a break from eating and is leaning back in his chair with his eyes partially closed; he must be tired, or sick. Probably both, today has been a long day. It's hard to imagine that just this morning I was living a normal life, going to school with my friends, and now I am District 13's girl tribute for the 4th Quarter Quell. Another avox appears by my side and places a piece of cake in front of me; I groan out loud and rest my forehead on the table. Why must they tempt me with all this food? I raise my head and find the other three looking at me quizzically; I ignore them and stare at the cake. It's a deep brown color, kind of like those squares I was eating earlier, if this cake tastes anything like those squares, I'll be in deep trouble. I reach out for my fork and take a bite of the cake, and ooh it tastes amazing.

I can only take three bites before I lower my fork and groan once again in defeat. I stand up and say goodnight to everyone, Terence ignores me and keeps drinking his wine; Emalia says a polite goodnight back and reminds me that we have a big day tomorrow. I turn to Tristan and he takes my hand and walks me back to my room, when we get to my room he hugs me and kisses my hair. I hold on tightly to him, wishing I didn't have to let go, wishing that we weren't in the Games. Tristan senses my mood and pulls back so he can look me in the eyes,

"Everything will be okay Lizzie, I promise. No matter what happens I'll always love you." He kisses me and I fight back the tears, I can't let him see me cry, or he will start getting upset too and I don't want to make him upset. I reach up on my tip-toes and kiss him softly one more time before walking into my room.

"I'll always love you too Tristan."

As soon as I shut the door, I throw my clothes off and put on this ridiculously frilly nightgown and lie on the bed and crawl between the soft sheets and listen for Tristan's footsteps. When the sound of his footsteps fade away, only then do I let myself cry. I cry for a good, long while, as I replay the day's events in my head, Tristan kissing me, getting ready for the reaping, hearing Cora's name read aloud, me volunteering for her, and most of all, Tristan getting chosen. I cry until I have no more tears and I slowly drift off to sleep, my dreams are full of bloody tongues, peace keepers, and food that comes alive.

I wake up in the morning to Emalia knocking rather loudly on my door, I groan and sit up. I wish I had more time to sleep; I didn't sleep all that well with the nightmares and such. I drag myself out of bed and over to the over-huge bathroom and get into the shower. There's a huge panel with buttons and switches that control different wash cycles and soaps. I carefully look at the buttons and press one that has a picture of red and blue water on it, and one that has pink bubbles. I'm jetted with warm water and I'm coated from head to toe with a thick layer of pink bubbles that I scrap off with my hands. I manage to find the off button and I stand on a small raised platform and put my hand on this box, and a current runs through my hair, untangling and drying it. I walk back into my room and pick out a simple peach colored blouse and jeans; I put my hair up into a ponytail and walk out to the dining room.

In the dining room I find a buffet table filled with more amazing looking food, by the time I leave this train I'll be fat. I see Tristan sitting down at the table already, his plate heaped with food, and Emalia and Terence are sitting on the couch ignoring each other. I walk behind Tristan and put my hands over his eyes, I can feel his face break out in a huge grin. I smile too and remove my hands; Tristan turns around and kisses me.

"How'd you sleep last night?"

He asks as he brushes so stray pieces of hair away from my face. Tristan has such a tender touch, I love the way his hands feel caressing my face, the way my small hands feel in his strong ones and most of all the way his lips feel against mine. I never saw this coming; I never thought we would be together. Sure I've thought about it a couple times, but each time I've thought it was ridiculous.

"I slept okay, not as well as I wanted to, though."

Tristan nods and doesn't press for more information, I think he knows I had nightmares, he probably had some too. Nightmares are nothing new to me; ever since my father disappeared over nine years ago I've often woken up screaming for him to get away from the peace keepers that take him away from us. The only ones that know about these nightmares are Tristan, Karissa and Cora. If I told my mom, she'd ask about them all the time, the others don't talk about the nightmares unless I bring them up first. I don't believe my father is dead, I think he's somewhere trapped deep in the grasp of the Capitol, my mother gave up all hope of him ever returning three years ago, and that makes me mad. We don't know for sure that he's dead, he might come back, and it angers me that my mother who loves him has given up on him. Some days I wonder if she truly loves him, if she did she wouldn't have given up hope. I've never talked about this to my mom, because I know that if I do, we will most likely get in a huge argument.

I walk over to the buffet table and fill my plate with some sausage, eggs and strawberries. I also get a mug of this brown stuff, it looks like coffee but it doesn't smell like coffee. I sit down next to Tristan and take a sip, it tastes wonderful, like the little brown squares, I really need to find out what those things were, and what this is. I quickly drain the whole cup and look up to see Terence looking at me with an amused expression on his face.

"You like the hot chocolate?"

"Is that what this stuff was?"

"Yeah, it's pretty good isn't it? I love chocolate myself, if you liked the chocolate cake last night wait till you see what we are going to have for desert tonight."

"Chocolate… Is that what those little squares were made of? In the little bowl in the TV room?" Terence smirks and rolls his eyes at me; Terence is very cocky and arrogant. He will be getting on my nerves a lot.

"So that was you who ate all the chocolate, I thought it was the boy."

"He has a name you know, and it's Tristan."

"Well excuse me for forgetting."

I really feel like slapping him right now, I should. I'm about to slap him when Tristan grabs my arm and gives me a stern look. I yank my arm out of his touch and I slouch in my chair, fuming with hate towards Terence. I silently eat the rest of my breakfast, and I get a glass of cold water and calmly walk over to where Terence is sitting on a sofa reading a newspaper, and I dump it over his head. Terence gasps from the cold and turns towards me, his eyes aflame with hate. I give him my brightest smile,

"Oh I'm sorry, was that your head?"

He reaches out to punch me and I duck out of the way and try to kick him in the stomach. Terence anticipates this and grabs my foot and proceeds to punch me squarely in the jaw, I wobble back and forth trying to free my foot. Terence lets go of my foot and grabs my calf and forces me on the ground. He pins my arms behind my back and digs his knee into the small of my back. By this time Tristan has figured out what's going on and tackles Terence from behind. Terence flings Tristan off, and in that second I kick my legs out striking him firmly in the stomach. I quickly jump up and rush over to Tristan who is just getting up; he ignores me and runs over to Terence, with fury radiating from his body. I've never seen Tristan this angry before, angry is an understatement, he's furious. Tristan punches Terence in the face twice before he's brought down to the ground. Tristan braces his hands on Terence's shoulders and tries to kick him, but Terence is faster and he punches Tristan in the nose. Blood streams down from Tristan's nose, how _dare_ he touch Tristan! I jump on Terence's back and wrap my arms around his neck, and try to strangle him, Tristan gets up and punches Terence in the stomach and chest and is about to knee him when the strangest thing happens. Terence starts laughing, he's _laughing_ and he just got kicked and punched. He is seriously messed up, Terence continues laughing and I climb off his back and stand over by Tristan who has taken off his shirt to slow the flow of the blood coming from his nose.

Terence gets up and stops laughing momentarily, and smiles at the two of us. Okay its official, Terence has lost his mind; we must have hit him too hard. "Well looks like you too can actually fight, and decently too."

Did I just hear a compliment? From Terence? Wow, that's pretty amazing; maybe Terence has a soft side after all. I glance over at Tristan, who is grinning at Terence, and then over at Emalia who has a hand clutching her heart like she's having a heart attack; she looks like she will pass out any minute, her face is as white as a sheet. I look back over at Tristan and Terence who are talking about fighting skills, and other useful skills Tristan may have.

"Can you run fast? Climb trees? Throw a knife?"

I know Tristan can run pretty fast, he's not the best tree climber though, and I'm positive he can't throw a knife. He has a pretty good throwing arm too; he could probably throw a spear or javelin. But Tristan's too humble to say that about himself so I'll have to say it for him.

"He can run really fast and could probably throw a knife or javelin far, but he can't climb trees that well, and he can keep really calm in a time of panic. He's really smart too, and can tie different kinds of knots."

Tristan gives me the evil stare of death, I don't know what his problem is; I'm trying to help him! Honestly I'll never understand guys, they make no sense whatsoever! I give him the evil eye back and resist the urge to stick my tongue out, and then Tristan gives me an evil smile and turns back to Terence who is looking at us with a bemused expression.

"Yeah but Lizzie can swim good and she can start a fire with almost anything and is good at finding edible plants and she can use a slingshot. Lizzie is good at solving puzzles and can usually tell how people are feeling by looking at their faces, and I bet she'd be really good with a sword. Lizzie can also sew better than anyone I've ever met."

"Yeah because sewing is _such_ a valuable skill to have, maybe I could make sweaters for the Careers in my spare time when I'm not being hunted." I glare at Tristan and look back over at Terence.

"Both of you have some good skills, Lizzie you should try sword fighting and some other things. You're good with a slingshot right?"

I nod and think about this, a slingshot probably could kill someone from a distance. I'm great with a slingshot but I don't know if I could kill a person, I've only ever killed small animals, birds, squirrels and rabbits for the kitchens of district 13. I shudder at the thought of having to kill someone, the very thought of it makes my blood run cold. I don't know how I'll be able to do it, hopefully when the time comes I'll be able to do it.

I look back over at Tristan who is kind of glaring at me, I glare back at him. I'm angry at everyone right now, at a lot of people. I'm angry with myself for falling in love with him, for getting even closer to him before both of us die cruelly in the arena. Could the timing have been any worse? I know that doesn't really make any sense but I'm really angry so nothing makes sense to me right now. I am absolutely furious at Terence for giving Tristan a bloody nose, appraising Tristan and I like cattle to be bought, fighting us, and then laughing like it's some kind of joke. Emalia I'm mad at for being so Emalia, for being too cheerful about sending us to our deaths and for drawing Cora and Tristan's names out of all the other names in our district. I absolutely _hate _the Capitol; I _loathe _all of the despicable people who call themselves human beings! If I could I would march over to the Capitol and wring the president's neck with my own bare hands. Right now I'm fuming inside and out, I wouldn't be surprised if steam is coming off my body, I don't trust myself right now I'm way too angry. I'm blinded by my own anger and feel like I have no control over myself, so when Tristan comes over to me and is about to open his mouth, I slap him. Right across the mouth, as soon as I realize what I did, and register the hurt and shock in his eyes I promptly burst into angry tears and run down the halls.

I hear Tristan calling after me but I ignore him, stumbling blindly into my room. I take the hand mirror on my dresser and smash it onto the floor, cutting my palm deeply and shattering the glass all over the floor. I hear footsteps and I'm about to yell at the person when I turn around and see the avox girl standing in my door way, looking at the glass on the floor then back at me. She silently comes into the room and picks up the pieces of glass while I stand there stupidly, not sure what to do. After she sweeps up the glass she turns to my hand and puts this weird white foam on it from a small canister she gets from the bathroom, it hurts really badly. I bite my lip to keep from crying out, after about ten seconds the foam fades away and in its place is a white puckered scar where the cut once was. I thank her quietly and she nods once before quietly slipping out.

I walk over to the door and lock it before walking over to my dresser, exchanging my slightly blood-speckled t-shirt for a clean one. Just as I'm about to close the drawer I spot a piece of paper sticking out underneath a pile of clothes. Curiously I pick the note up, shutting the drawer firmly before sitting in my bed. As I start unfolding the piece of paper, I'm flooded with memories of the dreadful note my father wrote all those years ago. I read the note quickly and gasp; I read it a second time than a third.

_Elizabeth, your father is alive, but imprisoned. He has been kept in District 1, forced to work for the Capitol on new technology for the Games and for new computer software. They question him about the districts and what he knows of a possible rebellion. The president hasn't killed him yet because of his skills but she is getting restless with his non-cooperating attitude. Korvin won't tell them anything but they suspect he knows something. That something is a very dangerous and well-kept secret. You see about 5 years ago a group was started among the men of District 13 they call themselves the Keepers. They have been plotting for years to over throw the president and bring Panem back to an age of peace, and keep it that way. The Keepers have in other words, been planning a rebellion, much like the one 25 years ago lead by the famed Katniss Everdeen. Slowly the knowledge of the Keepers have been spreading to the other districts, 12, 4 and 6 are in agreement with 13. The other districts either don't know about the Keepers or think it's a bad idea._

_ Don't worry about your father; I'll keep an eye on him. I have a couple friends from 1 that will keep me informed on his condition, and I'll notify you when I can. He will be happy to know you got this note, that you know he's alive. Korvin will never reveal his secrets to the president so don't worry about the safety of the districts. He wishes you luck in the arena and wants you to know that he loves you and your family very much. _

_-A friend_

I sit on my bed and take all this in; my dad is _alive_, but imprisoned by the Capitol. I let tears course down my face, I'm so happy he's alive. I just knew he was alive, I knew he wouldn't leave us. I get dressed for bed and i walk over to my door and open it a crack, I see Tristan pacing the halls, he lifts his head and stare at me hopefully. He takes one step towards the door and I slam it in his face then lock it. I'm furious at him. He isn't even going to _try _to win the Hunger Games! He's going to make sure I win and live a long and horrible life missing him… why would he do that to me? Now if I on the other hand die in the arena, Tristan will still have a life. Everyone will still have a life… except me. Cora, I know she will be really sad but she has other friends and she has Felix, and Karissa, my sweet little sister will probably take my death the hardest. But Karissa also has friends and she has Jason and my mom to help get her through. Tristan, my death would hurt him, and I'd regret it hurting him, but he's a really great guy he would probably fall in love with someone else… he's still young, he has a long life ahead of him.

For about the millionth time since I've stepped on this wretched train, I burst into tears and sink down and sit in front of the door, listening to Tristan's pleas for me to open the door and talk to him.

"Please Lizzie, talk to me. I don't know what I did or said to make you so angry with me. I'm so sorry your upset, just please come out. I don't want to lose you before the Games even start… I _can't _lose you. Lizzie I-"

"Just leave her be, if and when she's ready to talk she will come and find you. The girl needs some time to think, I'm sure she has a lot on her minds these days, and that it wasn't you that upset her. Now go to bed we will arrive in the morning. G'night." Terence's voice fades as he walks away from my door back to his own room. I sit there in front of the door and am slightly shocked by what Terence said. I don't know why he said that he didn't have any reason too, especially after I attacked him this afternoon. Maybe he isn't as horrible as he seems? No, that can't be it, maybe he just earned a little bit of respect for me when I fought him back and didn't give up on him.

Tristan is silent for several heartbeats then he whispers with a broken voice, "I'm sorry Lizzie, I love you… Goodnight." I listen as his footsteps become further away from my door. Part of me is crying out for me to run after him, but maybe it's better this way. Maybe it's better if we just stop this whole relationship before it's too late, it will be better this way so when I die, he won't feel as sad. I slowly get up and I crawl into my bed and lose myself in my dreams.


	7. Chapter 6: Moments

Chapter 6- Moments

I dream about the time Tristan saved me back in District 13. I dream so clearly, it's like I'm re-living it.

* * *

I was 11 and he was 13, one day on the way home from school this group of girls came up to me, and one guy was with them. I didn't like these girls, they were the snotty, popular girls in the school, and the guy that was with them was one of the most popular guys in school. I knew this couldn't be good, I didn't acknowledge them and kept walking towards the buildings that held the elevators to my apartment. Then, I had felt something sharp hit my left ankle and I cried out and tripped over a rock and fell down 5 feet over the rock wall. The wall was near the edge of the school; it trapped water from the river and kept it from flooding the school's lawn when it rains really badly, luckily it hadn't rained in a while. I had tried to land on my feet and I'd absorbed the shock of impact painfully on my right ankle. I had started crying, my ankle hurt so much I knew it must be broken.

Tears blurred my vision as I'd inspected my two ankles, the left one had a pretty deep cut in it, I don't know what made it, maybe a rock or a piece of glass. My right ankle was swollen and it looked kind of funny, I had gingerly shifted my weight and tried to stand. I gasped in pain and almost blacked out, I sat back down and I heard the group laughing above me.

"Oh I'm sorry! Did you fall? Keep your hands off of Tristan Hedeon! He's mine!"

I recognized that voice, it was Ahneta she is the same age as Tristan. She's always flirting with Tristan and trying to get his attention. I started crying more, I didn't know what to do; I was stuck at the edge of the school property, hidden behind a five foot wall and I couldn't walk. I could have always screamed, but I didn't want to draw any more attention to myself than necessary. The group's laughter faded as they walked away from me towards their homes or where ever they go to hang out. I had sat there for almost an hour, the light was fading and the temperature was dropping. I thought I was never going to get found when suddenly I heard my best friend's voice.

"Lizzie? Where are you? Lizzie! Are you here, can you hear me?"

I was filled with relief; Tristan has come to save the day. I try to stand up but my ankle hurts too much, it can't support my weight; I fall down with a thud.

"Lizzie? Was that you?" I could hear Tristan coming closer to me now, I was so grateful for him. I was afraid I would be stuck there all night.

"Tristan! I'm- I'm over here, behind the wall."

Tristan's footsteps had become faster as he ran to me. He jumped over the edge without hesitation and landed on his feet like a cat. He took a step closer to me and I saw the concern in his eyes. He paused momentarily when he saw the blood coming from my left ankle, then he had walked over to me and sat beside me.

"What happened? How did you get down here? Are you alright? Your mom was so worried about you." He looked over me checking for anything else that might be wrong and cautiously reached out to brush a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I was walking home from school and Ahneta and her group of friends and this guy came up behind me and followed me. I tried walking away from them and ignoring them but they kept following me. Then I heard the whistle of something flying through the air and whatever they threw hit and cut my left ankle pretty bad. When I looked down at my ankle I wasn't paying attention and I tripped over a rock and fell over the edge of the wall, and because my left ankle was hurt I tried to land more on my right ankle then left and I hit it really hard and now it hurts so much. Do you think it's broken? Or just sprained?"

Tristan reached his hands out to my left ankle then he stopped and looked up at me, "May I?"

I nodded and he gently picked up my right ankle in his hands and looked at it. Tristan poked at it softly with his index finger and I yelped. His eyes bore into mine and I could see the apologies in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, did that hurt? I won't touch it anymore. I need to get you out of here and to my mom; she'll fix you up in no time."

Tristan's mom is a healer; she's one of the best in town. The thing is how in the world did Tristan expect to get me over the five-foot wall? There's no way around it or under it. Tristan stood up and looked at the wall, then back at me.

"Lizzie I know how we are getting out of here."

Tristan had explained it quickly; he was going to climb up the wall while I was holding onto him. I'd have my arms around his neck and my legs and feet wrapped around him. When he finished telling me, I had stared at him, did he really think that would work? Not to mention, wouldn't that be kind of awkward? I had sighed and Tristan helped me stand up. I had wrapped my arms around his neck and slowly wrapped my legs around him; I could feel my face burn red with embarrassment and awkwardness.

"You ready?"

Tristan asked as he looked down at me. It wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be, being that close to Tristan. He felt very warm and strong; I wished I could have stay wrapped in his arms forever.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Tristan grunted and began to climb up the wall; I could see the sheen of sweat on his upper lip as he concentrated on climbing up the wall as quickly and safely as possible. Once or twice he had almost slipped and I would squeal each time and hold on tighter, but he always managed to regain his footing and continue upward over the wall. Again, I was so grateful for Tristan, that he was willing to carry me up this wall; if the situation would have been reversed I would never have been able to carry Tristan up a wall. But I'm sure I would have found a way to help him.

After much grunting and struggling, Tristan had finally reached the top of the wall. I'd released my grip on Tristan and he helped me onto the edge of the wall; I had grabbed Tristan's hand and helped to pull him over. Tristan had been panting heavily and his arms had been shaking from the climb. I stood up and hugged my best friend; I didn't know what I would've done without him, he hugged me back then pulled away and started to pick me up.

"What do you think you're doing Tristan?"

His arms stilled as he looked me over, and gave me a look that said, _what do you think I'm doing? _I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head; he was really was going to carry me? I thought he was insane! He had just finished climbing up that wall carrying me, and now he wanted to carry me home?

"Okay I know what you're doing but _why _are you doing it? I can walk thank you very much!" Tristan rolled his eyes at me.

"No, you _can't_ walk! Your right ankle is all swollen and your left ankle has a cut on it! I'm going to carry you whether you like it or not!" I had glared at Tristan and stood with my arms crossed. He was being so stubborn! Why couldn't he just let me walk?! I gave Tristan the evil stare of death as he walked over to me and scooped me up in his arms; he had smiled triumphantly as he began to walk towards town where his mom would look at my ankle. I had looked up at my best friend and then rested my head on his shoulder and snuggled into him, the corner of Tristan's mouth had twitched then, holding back a smile but kept his gaze ahead of him. I could see Ahneta in the distance with her friends, with fire in her eyes as she saw me in Tristan's arms. I had smiled sweetly at her and Tristan nodded in her direction.

"Ahneta? A bit of advice… tripping people so they fall into a deep hole is _not _attractive." Ahneta's mouth had fell open, and she had a livid expression on her face. If looks could kill… that one would've. I had smiled smugly to myself and lost myself in thought.

When we had reached Tristan's apartment and had gotten through the hysterics of whether I was alright, and what happened and everything his mom checked my ankles out. She declared my right ankle badly sprained and possibly fractured and cleaned and bandaged the cut on my left ankle. For the next week or so I was going to have to use crutches and try to stay off my feet as much as possible. Tristan helped me to my apartment and helped to settle me on the couch; he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek before quickly leaving the room. I had blushed and settled into the pillows and fell asleep.

* * *

I awake from the dream with a start; it was so _real, _so vivid. I look around my room and here Emalia knocking and saying to hurry up and get dressed. We will be arriving in an hour, I get up and head to the bathroom where I take a quick shower and get dressed in a simple V-necked blue-gray shirt and jeans. I walk out of the room and meander down to the room where breakfast will be. I see everyone is in their usual spot so I say good morning to everyone and grab some hot chocolate and some strawberries. I love strawberries, I could eat them all day, and the ones they have here on the train are so red and juicy. I sit on an empty sofa and enjoy my breakfast and think about what's going to happen next when we arrive in the Capitol. I wonder who my stylist will be and if he will be a good one, a kind one and wonder what sort of ridiculous things he will dress me in.

Our district is nuclear power so maybe Tristan and I will be dressed as atoms and molecules. I'm sure everyone back home will love that, especially Ahneta. Then at the opening ceremony the president will read what cruel twist there will be to the Quarter Quell. They used to announce the Quarter Quell twists before you went to the Games but now they don't announce it until you're in the Capitol. The last Quarter Quell twist was that only victors were the tributes; that was the Games when the rebels rescued Katniss Everdeen and some of the others from the arena while her lover, Peeta Mellark was abducted by the Capitol. I can't help but think of what horrible twist is going to entail the Quarter Quell, maybe there will be only weapons at the Cornucopia, or there won't be any fresh water. Maybe we will get sent to a frigid mountain terrain or a desert.

While I'm pondering all of this I don't notice Tristan approaching me, he comes and stands in front of me with circles under his eyes, he hasn't been sleeping well. But then, what tribute does sleep well when you know that you're most likely going to be dead in two weeks' time?

"Lizzie," he says hoarsely, and kneels down to look me in the eyes, "I don't know what I've done to upset you so, but please know that I would never try to upset you on purpose. I love you Lizzie, and it _kills _me to be like this, with us not talking to each other. Please forgive me Lizzie; I need to know that you still love me. Your love is the only thing keeping me sane right now, without you I wouldn't be the same. I love you so much, I—"

Tristan is cut off by me throwing my arms around his neck and kissing him; I've been such a jerk. I love him so much, without him I don't know who I would be. I tell him that and he kisses me softly and murmurs loving words in my ear as he holds me. How is it possible that someone as amazing as Tristan fell in love with me?

I pull away some so I can look into those gorgeous green eyes of his. He smiles at me and strokes my cheek with his thumb. I smile back at him and imagine I can see all the way to his soul through his eyes.

"I love you Tristan. I'm so sorry, I've been so stupid." He puts his hand over my mouth to stop my apology.

"Lizzie, it's okay, I love you."

He removes his hand and kisses my forehead. I grab his hand and pull him up so he can sit next to me on the couch, I tuck my feet underneath me and lay my head on Tristan's shoulder as his arm encircles my waist and pulls me closer. We sit like that for a while and just stare at the walls, deep in thought. Then my favorite person comes waltzing in the door, followed by Emalia.

"Okay lovebirds, we are getting ready to pull into the station, when we get there you will be surrounded by camera crew and Capitol citizens, make sure you smile big for the cameras and maybe work a kiss in there. They are big suckers for a love story, specifically the ones with tragic endings. Once we get inside you will be ushered off to meet your stylists and your prep team. Don't argue with them, just smile and be nice."

Tristan and I nod and Terence saunters off to who knows where and Emalia sits on the arm chair adjacent to us. "So, how's it going guys?"

Tristan is just about to answer when the train screeches to a stop in front of the station in the Capitol. I look out the nearest window, everything is so… different. I see at least five cameras that have their own reporter standing nearby, microphones in hand. I look beyond the reporters to the screaming crowd of Capitol citizens; they are even freakier in person. I see one lady who stands out, she looks _ridiculous. _ This lady has purple hair with black streaks in them, and skin that's stretched really tightly over her face, it also looks as if she has a plaid design tattooed down her arms. I stifle laughter and I look over at Tristan who is trying his hardest not to laugh, I nudge him and I motion over to the nearest camera. He looks straight into the camera and winks. I roll my eyes but I also turn to the camera and give a shy wave and blow a kiss into the audience. Tristan squeezes my hand and we smile and wave some more before walking into the building and head over to the re-make center, Tristan raises my hand to his lips and kisses it before letting go and following Terence into the building. I sigh and follow Emalia into a different door, imagining what my stylist and prep team might do to me.


	8. Chapter 7: A Place in This World

Chapter 7- A Place in this World

_Ouch! _If Evania touches my eyebrows again, there's a very good chance I will strangle her. I've been sitting in a very plush chair in the re-make center for _three _hours. The past forty-five minutes Evania has been plucking and re-shaping my eyebrows and it stings like crazy. The other two, Teri and Selwyn, aren't any better. Teri waxed my legs which hurt so much I dug my nails into the arms of the chair I was sitting in and left marks. Selwyn is currently yanking and curling my hair, trying to get it to curl in the right direction. The three of them have been chattering non-stop about their sappy Capitol lives and the Games. Teri, the loudest of the group can't stop gushing over how cute Tristan and I are as a couple and ask if we are going to get married. I resist rolling my eyes at her and instead I politely thank her. Evania finishes with my eyebrows and with an expert touch she applies a shimmery, electric blue eye shadow to my eyelids.

As my prep team pampers me, I think about the stylist, why isn't he or she here yet? I'm filled with dread about my costume for the opening ceremony; last year's tributes were dressed as bombs. Yeah, that was pretty bad… I hope I won't be dressed as a bomb, or even worse, an atom. That would be pretty embarrassing. I bring my attention back to my prep team; you know after you get passed all the yanking, plucking and waxing of hair, getting re-made is not too bad. Selwyn has finished curling my hair and is pinning some of it up with sparkly barrettes and Teri is finishing painting my toenails and fingernails an electric blue color. They finish last-minute touches and step away and coo over how more human I look and even how pretty I am now.

"Oh Elizabeth! You look much more like a teenage girl now then you did before! All you needed to do was to get rid of all that extra eyebrow hair!"

Evania claps her hands and stops talking for a moment and looks me over than smiles brightly at me. They chatter about my new look and the opening ceremony until a tall, lean man with golden hair walks in. Teri points excitedly to the man and nudges Evania and Selwyn; they too get all excited and rush over to him. I assume this man is my stylist, well this will be interesting. I cross my arms over my chest and stand up, the man looks over to me and gives me a friendly smile, and I instantly feel relieved, that I might actually make a friend in this crazy place.

The man walks over to me and shakes my hand, "Hello Elizabeth, my name is Vincent, and I'm your stylist." I find myself smiling at Vincent, he seems really nice.

"Hi, you can call me Lizzie if you want to."

He smiles and nods and walks over to a table with some chairs. We eat some lunch which consists of this amazing potato soup and a sandwich, it's a lot more filling than it seems. As I eat I think about home, we don't get to choose what we want to eat and how much, we scan this barcode on our arm and it gives us the amount of food with the right dosage of calories and vitamins to get us through until the next meal. Here, in the Capitol, you can eat whatever you want and tons of it, it's not right. I put down my sandwich, suddenly not able to eat and I look at Vincent. His hair is a really bright gold color with purple highlights that match his eyes, I've never seen eyes like his they are so… so purple. Vincent has an angular face and somewhat pointed chin that has a dimple on it. I sigh deeply and sit back in my chair, Vincent raises his head from his empty plate and a sketchbook he was drawing in and looks questioningly at me.

"Is something wrong Lizzie?" I give a half-smile and shake my head, he raises an eyebrow. I can tell he doesn't believe me.

"No, not really, just thinking of… home."

Vincent sighs sympathetically and reaches over and squeezes my hand. I feel the corners of my mouth twitch up, almost smiling, he is really nice and I think I've made another friend. Right about now back home Karissa would be eating lunch with her friends and Jason; I wonder if Karissa and Jason are dating now. I think about my mom, she's probably in her office working on some new computer software.

Mom and dad have always been big into technology; in fact that's how they met. During the rebellion 25 years ago they were both working to discover a faster and more efficient way to help break into the Capitol's television feed so the rebels could send out their own broadcasts. They met when my dad accidently spilled some coffee on my mom's keyboard, and my mom almost slapped him. Those keyboards were expensive, and my mom knew she was going to get in trouble for having a damaged keyboard. Then from that day on, well you know what happened, they spent more time together, fell in love and two years later they were married.

Vincent gets up and walks over to this raised platform in the middle of the room I walk over to him and stand with my arms crossed. Time to get into costume; I wonder how ridiculous I'm going to look. Vincent must read the expression on my face because he rolls his eyes at me and says, "Don't worry! Your costume will be amazing! I promise you're not going to look like a fool."

I smile and I flood with relief and shame, I should have known Vincent wouldn't have dressed me up so ridiculously. I shake my head and smile as I step onto the platform, I raise my hands over my head and close my eyes as my prep team comes in and slips something soft and silky over my head. I wait until the fabric settles in place to open my eyes, I gasp at the beautiful girl I see in the mirror, that can't be _me_, she's way too beautiful to be me. I refuse to believe she's me. Her hair is a work of art itself, some of it falls into soft curls around her shoulders while some hair is pinned up in the back with sparkling barrettes. The girl's soft blue eyes are highlighted dramatically with the electric blue eye shadow that curls some around her eyes.

My eyes widen when I look at the dress, oh the dress is the most perfect thing I've ever seen! It's a V-necked dress with spaghetti straps that starts out white, brilliant white it looks like it's literally glowing. The dress is very fitted at the top and as it goes further down it starts flaring and flowing out, and the further down the color changes from white to electric blue, the whole dress is glowing brightly, I look like I'm alive with energy. Around my waist, (yes my waist, I've accepted that this beautiful creature in the mirror is somehow me,) is a sash that is tied in a knot in the middle and the loose ends fall down the front of the dress.

Then a thought occurs to me… This dress, it looks like it has something to do with electricity, and power. That's District 5's industry, not 13's, sadness washes through me as I realize this, Vincent must have made the wrong dress and mixed up the districts. Now I'll have to give up the dress, but oh, I don't want to take it off. Vincent looks at me and raises an eyebrow, "What's wrong Lizzie?"

"Vincent", I start not disguising the sadness in my voice, "I think you made a mistake, District 13's industry is nuclear science and technology, not electricity. That's District 5's thing, what am I supposed to wear now?" He just shakes his head and walks forward.

"No, no Lizzie. There is no mistake, see nuclear science is pretty much all about energy right? So that's the theme I chose for your costume. You are energy, Lizzie, you are strong and I know you can win this if you try your best."

I smile at my stylist, I am energy. Vincent walks over to a coffee table and picks up a small box and walks back to the platform I'm standing on. He opens it and I see a beautiful necklace, it has a diamond pendant on it that's about one inch in diameter and is strung on a silver chain. The silver chain has an electric blue ribbon intertwined with it. I watch as Vincent carefully takes it out of its box and fastens it around my neck; then he comes and stands in front of me.

"Press the button on the back of the pendant and watch."

I press the button and nothing happens, that is until Vincent turns out the lights. I look in the mirror and gasp; I look like I'm inside an atom or something. Projected from the middle of the gem are beams of light that look like lightning or bolts of energy. It looks unreal, like something you would see in a dream. I start tearing up a little but quickly swallow the tears, I don't want to ruin the make-up, Vincent, the dress, the necklace; it's too much.

"Oh Vincent, thank you so much. I don't know what to say! I love, love the dress and the necklace, oh I love the necklace! It's the most beautiful thing ever!" Vincent smiles brightly, and takes my hands in his and kisses them.

"Ah Lizzie, I'm so glad you like the outfit. You can keep the necklace; in fact I insist you keep it. It can be your District token, take it Lizzie."

I can't believe I'm hearing this; Vincent wants _me _to have this necklace. I couldn't, it's too nice. I tell him that and he gives me a pleading look. "Please take it Lizzie, it's a gift, we want you to have it."

I nod my head and Vincent smiles brighter at me, you would think I just gave him a million dollars, all I did was accept the necklace; I didn't think it was that important for me to have it. My thoughts are interrupted by a small persistent beeping noise, I look around trying to figure out what it is and where it's coming from. I give my stylist a puzzling look and I see him look down at a watch and press a button, it must have been an alarm on the watch.

"Oh my, look at the time! We better get a move on Lizzie that was our ten minute warning. I better get you off to the elevator with Tristan."

My heart does a little flip at the mention of my best friend- err, boyfriend's name, it feels like it's been forever since I've seen him. I all but skip out of the re-make center, not before giving Vincent, my fabulous stylist a hug though. I run as fast as I can in my heels and dress down the halls and slow to a walk just before I reach the elevator. My face breaks into a huge smile when I see Tristan standing by the elevator with Terence and Emalia; I walk over to them and take Tristan's hand in mine. I can't help but burst out laughing when I see Tristan's face as he looks me over, his eyes are bugging out of his head and his mouth is hanging open.

Terence looks at us with his ever-present amused face, "Hey Tristan! You might wanna put your tongue in your mouth!" Tristan snaps out of the trance he's in and gives Terence the evil eye. I giggle along with Emalia as we get off the elevator and step into an open room where our chariot is sitting. For the first time I take in Tristan's outfit, his is similar to mine. Except obviously he's not wearing a dress, he's wearing a tux.

"Your chariot waits for you."

Terence does a short bow and waves us into the chariot and our stylists Vincent and Vita, brother and sister, re-appear before our chariot and fix some last minute details. Our chariot looks like… I'm not even sure, like the inside of an atom I think. Tristan and I are the energy, we _are _energy. Vincent kisses my hand and reminds me to turn on my necklace before we start moving/

"Lizzie, don't worry! You will outshine them all! Remember to smile and wave, and most of all; relax and just go with it!"

I take a deep breath and squeeze Tristan's hand as the door goes up and our chariot starts moving, Tristan squeezes back. I hold onto Tristan with both arms tightly as the chariot takes off, I'm scared I'm going to fall off! My heart pounds in my chest, I feel breathless as the horses take off like a shot, they slow down as they round the corner of the street that will be lined with cameras and I feel myself relax some. The horses pull our chariot through the crowded streets of the Capitol, after about 15 minutes we will end up in City Circle. The crowds are insane with happiness; I wave into the crowd shyly at first but once I see the crowds' reaction I start to smile like I'm excited to be here. All the sudden I remember the necklace, "Dang it!" I whisper to myself and quickly turn it on.

The people of the Capitol gasp and I see some jumping up and down and pointing. Tristan looks in awe around him as the bright, electricity-type lights shine around us, projected from my necklace. The horses pulling the chariot screeches to a stop when it reaches City Circle and lines up with the other 12 chariots. I catch the tributes of District 1, Neci and Acario, glaring at us, well looks like we just made some friends. I smile sweetly at them, even though I've probably just signed my own death warrant.

President Snow slowly walks up the stage to the platform and welcomes the tributes to what's sure to be a most exciting Hunger Games. President Octavia Snow is a thin lady, way too thin she gives off the impression of being sickly. She has icy silver eyes and thin lips that are purple in color; unnatural if you ask me.

I look up at the screens that are showing everyone what's being filmed, the cameras are currently scanning over the chariots and when the cameras linger at our chariot I blow a kiss towards the camera shyly. I smile to myself as the President tries to continue her speech, but can't be heard over the roaring of the citizens, President Snow ever so slightly turns her head in my general direction and her lips form a small, thin frown. She doesn't like that the attention is turned away from her: go figure. I slowly reach my hand up toward my necklace and I turn it off, eliciting a sad sigh from the Capitol's citizens. When the crowds are finally quieted she finishes her speech and the anthem plays as the chariots roll back towards the Remake Center and the Training Center.


End file.
